The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-01

WASHINGTON, May %. - Soldiers of the
NATIONAL drin listened this afternoon to
ermon by the Rev. T, Dewitt Talmage, D.
D. Soldiers from thirty one states and terri
orics were present, and nineteen governors
md their stats. Washington is fun of stran-
gers attendant upon the national drill, having
.or its object Improvement in military science,
which began May % and viii close to
The music before and after the
sermon this afternoon was conducted by mill
tary bands. Dr. Tahmage's tex were taken
from I Chronicles xii, 80, FIFTY thousand
which could keep rank;' and Judges Xxx, 16,
Every one could sling stones at hair
breadth and not miss" The preacher said:
Companies of infantry, cavalry, artillery
and Zouaves, please notice the first Scripture
passage appauds the soldiers of Zebulun be
cause they were disciplined troops. They
may have been inefficient at the start and
laughed at by old soldiers because they
seemed so clumsy in the line, but it was drill,
drill, drill until they could keep step as one
man FIFTY thousand which could keep
rank" The second Scripture passage APP
plauds a regiment of singers in the tribe of
Ben iamin because they are dexterous marks
men. When they first enlisted they may
have been an awkward squad and all their
fingers were thumbs, but they practiced until
when they aimed at "a mark they always hit
it. every one could sling stones at n hair
breadth and not miss Both texts combin-
ing 20 show us that if we must fight we
should DO il well
There is something absorbing in the military
science Of the Bible In olden times all the
men between 20 and 30 years of age were
enrolled in the army, and then levy was
made for a special service. There were only
three or four classes exempt; those who had
built IA house and had not occupied it; those
who had planted a garden and had not reaped
the fruit of it.: those who were engaged to be
married and yet had not led the bride to the
altar; those who were yet in the first year of
welded life; those who were so nervous that
they could not look upon an enemy but
they fed, and could not look upon blood but
they tainted
The army was in three divisions-thec center
and right and left wings. The weapons of
defense were helmet, shield, breastplate,
bucklcr The weapons of oifense were sword,
spear javelin, arrow, catapult-which was
merely bow swung by machinery, shooting
arrows at vast distances, great arrows, one
arrow as large as several men could lift, and
ballista, which was sling swung by machin-
cry, hurting great rocks and large pieces of
lead 70 vast distances. The shields were
made or woven willow work with three thick
nesses of hide and a loop inside through which
the arm of the warrior might be thrust; and
when these soldiers We're marching to attack
an enemy on the level, all these shields
touched each other, making a wall moving
but impenetrahle; and then when they at
tackled a fortress and tried to capture bat
Element this shield was lifted over the head
so as 10 resist the falling missiles. The breast
plate was made of two pieces of leather,
brass covered, one piece falling over the
breast, the other falling over the back. AT
the side Of the warrior the two pieces fast
ened with buttons or clasps.
The bows were so stout and stiff and strong
that warriors often challenged each other to
bend one The strings of the bow were made
from the sinews of oxen. A case like an in.
verified pyramid was fastened to the back
that case containing the arrows, so that
when the warrior wanted to use am arrow he
would put his arm over his shoulder and pull
forth the arrow for the fight. The ankle OF
the foot had an iron boot. When wall was
to be assaulted battering ram was brought
mp. A battering ram was a great beam
swung ON chains in equilibrium. The batter
ing ram would be brought close up to the
wall and then a great number of men would
take hold of this beam, push it back as far as
they could and then let go, and the beam be
came great swinging pendulum of destruc
ton.
Twenty or forty men would stand in G
movable tower ON the back of an elephant
the elephant made drunk with wine and ther
headed toward the enemy, and what with the
heavy feet and the swinging proboscis and the
poisoned arrows shot from the movable
tower the destruction was appalling. Wa
chariots were in vogue, and they were on two
wheels, so they could easily turn sword
was fastened TO the pole between the horses
so when they went ahead the sword thrust
and when they turned around it would NOW
down. The armies carried flags beautifully
embroidered Tribe of Judah carried a flag
embroidered with n lion; tribe of Reuben
embroidered with a man; tribe of Dan, EN-.
broidered with eherubim. The noise Of the
hosts as they moved ON was overwhelming
What with the clatter of shields and the
rufnhling of wheels and the shouts of the
captains and the vociferation of the entire
host, the prophet says it was like the roaring
of the sea. Because tie arts OF war have
been advancing all these years you are not to
conclude that these armies of olden times
were an uncomfortable mob could quote
YOU four or five Passages Of Scripture show
ing you that they were thoroughly drilled
they marched step TO step, shoulder to Shout
der, or as my texts express it, they were
"Finy thousand which could keep rank y and
"Every one could sling stones at a haiI
breadth and not miss"
Nothing could be more important thar
this great National encampment. Undrilled
troops can never stand before those which
are drilled. Az a time when other nations
To.
behooves this nation TO lack nothing in skill
We shall never have another war between
north and south. The old decayed bone oil
contention. African slavery, has been cast
out, although here and there depraved poll
tician takes il up to see if he can gnaw some
thing Off of IL We are floating off further
and further from the possibility of sectional
strife, hut about foreign invasion / am not SC
sure. There is absolutely no room on thi.
continent for any other nation. / have beer
across the country again and again, and
know that we have not half inch of ground
for the equity foot of foreign despotism tc
stand ON. l do not know but that a hall
dozen nations, envious of our prosperity
may want to give us a wrestle. During
our civil war there were two OF
three nations that could hardly keep theiI
hands off of US. 1t is very easy to pick ma
tional quarrels, and if our nation escapes il
much longer it win be the exception. II q
foreign foe should come we want men liks
those of 1872, and like those who fought or
both sides in 1862. We want them all up and
down the coast, Pulaski and Fort Sumter in
the same chorus of thunder as Fort Lafayette
and Fort Hamilton, men who will not only
know how to fight, but how to die. Wher
such time comes, ii ii ever does come, the
generations on the stage of action viii say
MY country viii care for my family, as they
did in the soldiers asylums for the orphans
In the civil war, and my country win honor
my dust as it honors thosa who preceded me
in patriotic sacrifice, and once year at any
rate, on Decoration Day, ! shall be res
directed into the remembrance Of those
for whom died. Here / 60 for God
and my country II foreign foe should ever
como all sectional animosities would be OBJ
liberated. Here go our regiments into the
brittle, side by side, Fifteenth New York
volunteers, Tenth Alabama cavalry, Four
teentb Pennsylvania rifemer, Tenth Massa-
chu<etts artillery. Seventh South Carolina
sharpsliooters. ! have no faith in the cry:
mo north, no south, mo east, no vest Let
all four sections keep their peculiarities and
their preferences, each doing its own work
and not interfering with each other, each Of
the four carrying its part in the great bar
mony--ff1e bass, the alto, the tenor, the
soprano Ia the grand march Of the Union.
I<onerafulafe you, the officers and sol
<II6rs 0f tlais National encampmenf, that Il {
foreian attack should a. any time ~ made
WI wduld ~ ready. md there would q mi''